Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone
Actress and songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her highly-anticipated single titled “deja vu” on Thursday, April 1.
At the beginning of the year, Rodrigo was catapulted into stardom when she released her debut single, “drivers license.” It set the record twice for the most streamed song in a day on Spotify and became the fastest song to reach 100 million streams on the platform.
The song was released among a whirlwind of rumors. Fans speculated the song to be about Joshua Bassett, Rodrigo’s co-star on “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” on Disney+. Specifically, a lyric in Rodrigo’s song mentioned that her ex is now spending time with a mysterious blonde girl instead of her. This caused fans to point to Rodrigo’s fellow Disney icon Sabrina Carpenter, who is rumored to now be dating Bassett. The controversy caused Rodrigo’s song to become immensely popular on TikTok. Adding to the storm of gossip, Sabrina Carpenter later released her song “Skin,” which appeared to respond to Rodrigo, all but confirming the rumors to be true.
Despite the controversy surrounding “drivers license” contributing to the song’s success, Rodrigo’s talent as a lyricist and songwriter proves she does not need a scandal to propel her career. No matter who Rodrigo’s songs are about, and regardless of if they are fact or fiction, Rodrigo sings about emotions that are universal. At just 18 years old, she shows immense emotional maturity. The car, the license and learning to drive are just a gateway into her tumultuous story of a failed romance and unfulfilled promises. They are the beginnings of the larger narrative Rodrigo is taking listeners on, one seemingly minute detail at a time.
With the release of her new single, it is clear that “drivers license” was only chapter one of the story of lost love, and “deja vu” is chapter two. With “deja vu,” Rodrigo shows a whole new side to her songwriting abilities. At the same time, this song is the perfect companion to “driver’s license.” Rodrigo finally gave listeners a glimpse into the story she alluded to in her debut single – the story of her ex’s new relationship with the “blonde girl.” Rodrigo opens the song singing of the things she and her ex used to do together: Eating strawberry ice cream in Malibu, watching “Glee” and singing Billy Joel songs. She then accuses her ex of reliving the exact experiences they had together but with a new girl, passing them off as brand new. The moments between them that were supposed to be special turned out not to be.
This time, instead of being mournful, Rodrigo is angry. Unlike the pop-ballad nature of “drivers license,” Rodrigo’s new single is closer in genre to indie pop or alternative. The song features a heavy drum beat and haunting harmonies. Where “drivers license” ends on a sad and regretful note with a soft vocal delivery, “deja vu” ends with Rodrigo chanting accusations at her ex. Similar to how “drivers license” was not really about a license but the story of failed love, “deja vu” follows a similar paradigm. The strawberry ice cream and Billy Joel songs mentioned in “deja vu” serve as physical representations of jealousy and betrayal. Ultimately, Rodrigo’s failed love story is not about missing someone, it is about the pain that comes with being replaced.
With both singles, Rodrigo has proven herself to have immense promise as an artist. “deja vu” has also reached the top of the charts, earning a spot at number three in the U.S. on Spotify and number eight globally. Rodrigo is set to release her debut album on May 21, likely to give fans more of the story they are craving and further show off the range of her talents.
